Trix (cereal)
Encyclopedia
Trix is a brand of breakfast cereal
made by General Mills
for the North American and by Nestlé
for the European, South American and Asian markets. The cereal consists of fruit
-flavored, sweetened, ground-corn
pieces. They started out as round cereal pieces, but in 1992, they were changed to puffed fruit-shaped pieces. In 2007, they reverted to their original shape in the United States and several other places. However, at least in Mexico, they have kept their fruit shape. The official term for a single piece of cereal is a "Tric".
division produces a Trix-branded yogurt
also marketed to children with sweetened fruit flavors such as "Watermelon Burst". Later, Trix swirls were introduced, containing flavors such as "Rasorangeyorange swirl" (a mix of the Orangey orange and Raspberry red flavors).
cartoon
rabbit
who debuted in a 1959 Trix television commercial
, and who continually attempted to trick children into giving him a bowl of Trix cereal. He would be discovered every time; the children would tell him that he was a silly rabbit and that "Trix [were] for kids," and take back their cereal. These ads would often end with the Trix Rabbit following up the kids' "Silly rabbit, Trix are for kids!" slogan with "...and sometimes, for tricky rabbits!". The Rabbit originated as a puppet before he later became animated. He did however succeed in obtaining and eating the Trix on some occasions, including twice as the result of a box top mail-in contest (1976 and 1990) entitled "Let The Rabbit Eat Trix". The results of the vote were an overwhelming "yes", and the rabbit was depicted in a subsequent commercial finally enjoying a bowl of Trix. Children who voted received a button based upon their vote in the election.
In commercials from the 1960s, 70s and 80s, the rabbit was known to disguise himself in order to get his beloved cereal, employing costumes as diverse as a balloon vendor, a painter and a Native American. One alternate slogan for the cereal was, "Oranges, Lemons, and Grapes I see; the fruit taste of Trix is all for me". Once, Bugs Bunny
helped the rabbit get the cereal.
The rabbit's popularity has led him to appear in commercials for other products, such as a Got Milk?
advertisement. However, not all reception for the Trix rabbit has been positive.
This slogan is referenced in Quentin Tarantino
's Kill Bill
Vol 1. In chapter 5: Showdown at House of Blue Leaves, having dispatched O-Ren Ishii's (Lucy Liu
) entourage, O-Ren taunts The Bride
(Uma Thurman
), asking if she really thought it would be that easy. When the Bride defiantly replies that for a moment, she did, O-Ren replies "Silly rabbit..." and they finish the sentence together, "Trix are for kids". A footnote in the script implies this is what they used to say to each other when they both worked as assassins for Bill
, though this is never shown on film. This may also be a reference to The Bride's real name, Beatrix Kiddo.
In the comic strip "Pearls Before Swine
," the Trix rabbit made once an outrageous cameo appearance.
Breakfast cereal
A breakfast cereal is a food made from processed grains that is often, but not always, eaten with the first meal of the day. It is often eaten cold, usually mixed with milk , water, or yogurt, and sometimes fruit but sometimes eaten dry. Some cereals, such as oatmeal, may be served hot as porridge...
made by General Mills
General Mills
General Mills, Inc. is an American Fortune 500 corporation, primarily concerned with food products, which is headquartered in Golden Valley, Minnesota, a suburb of Minneapolis. The company markets many well-known brands, such as Betty Crocker, Yoplait, Colombo, Totinos, Jeno's, Pillsbury, Green...
for the North American and by Nestlé
Nestlé
Nestlé S.A. is the world's largest food and nutrition company. Founded and headquartered in Vevey, Switzerland, Nestlé originated in a 1905 merger of the Anglo-Swiss Milk Company, established in 1867 by brothers George Page and Charles Page, and Farine Lactée Henri Nestlé, founded in 1866 by Henri...
for the European, South American and Asian markets. The cereal consists of fruit
Fruit
In broad terms, a fruit is a structure of a plant that contains its seeds.The term has different meanings dependent on context. In non-technical usage, such as food preparation, fruit normally means the fleshy seed-associated structures of certain plants that are sweet and edible in the raw state,...
-flavored, sweetened, ground-corn
Maize
Maize known in many English-speaking countries as corn or mielie/mealie, is a grain domesticated by indigenous peoples in Mesoamerica in prehistoric times. The leafy stalk produces ears which contain seeds called kernels. Though technically a grain, maize kernels are used in cooking as a vegetable...
pieces. They started out as round cereal pieces, but in 1992, they were changed to puffed fruit-shaped pieces. In 2007, they reverted to their original shape in the United States and several other places. However, at least in Mexico, they have kept their fruit shape. The official term for a single piece of cereal is a "Tric".
Overview
Saturn Stones Cereal, when first introduced in 1954 by General Mills, was more than 46% sugar. The cereal started out with three different colors: Orangey orange, Lemony yellow, and Raspberry red. Five new fruit shapes and colors were added over the years: Grapity purple (1984), Lime green (1991), Wildberry blue (1998 – 2006), and Watermelon (1999). A new flavor, Wildberry Red Swirl, has also recently been introduced. In 1995, the cereal pieces were given a brighter and more colorful look. General Mills' YoplaitYoplait
Yoplait is a brand of yogurt produced by a company owned by two French holdings, SODIAAL and PAI Partners.-History:In 1964, 100,000 French farmers merged their regional dairy cooperatives to sell nationally. In 1965, two co-ops, "Yola" and "Coplait", merged, becoming "Yoplait"...
division produces a Trix-branded yogurt
Yoghurt
Yoghurt, yogurt or yogourt is a dairy product produced by bacterial fermentation of milk. The bacteria used to make yoghurt are known as "yoghurt cultures"...
also marketed to children with sweetened fruit flavors such as "Watermelon Burst". Later, Trix swirls were introduced, containing flavors such as "Rasorangeyorange swirl" (a mix of the Orangey orange and Raspberry red flavors).
Marketing and advertising
Joe Harris created the Trix Rabbit—voiced by Delo States, Mort Marshall, and later by Russell Horton—an anthropomorphicAnthropomorphism
Anthropomorphism is any attribution of human characteristics to animals, non-living things, phenomena, material states, objects or abstract concepts, such as organizations, governments, spirits or deities. The term was coined in the mid 1700s...
cartoon
Cartoon
A cartoon is a form of two-dimensional illustrated visual art. While the specific definition has changed over time, modern usage refers to a typically non-realistic or semi-realistic drawing or painting intended for satire, caricature, or humor, or to the artistic style of such works...
rabbit
Rabbit
Rabbits are small mammals in the family Leporidae of the order Lagomorpha, found in several parts of the world...
who debuted in a 1959 Trix television commercial
Television advertisement
A television advertisement or television commercial, often just commercial, advert, ad, or ad-film – is a span of television programming produced and paid for by an organization that conveys a message, typically one intended to market a product...
, and who continually attempted to trick children into giving him a bowl of Trix cereal. He would be discovered every time; the children would tell him that he was a silly rabbit and that "Trix [were] for kids," and take back their cereal. These ads would often end with the Trix Rabbit following up the kids' "Silly rabbit, Trix are for kids!" slogan with "...and sometimes, for tricky rabbits!". The Rabbit originated as a puppet before he later became animated. He did however succeed in obtaining and eating the Trix on some occasions, including twice as the result of a box top mail-in contest (1976 and 1990) entitled "Let The Rabbit Eat Trix". The results of the vote were an overwhelming "yes", and the rabbit was depicted in a subsequent commercial finally enjoying a bowl of Trix. Children who voted received a button based upon their vote in the election.
In commercials from the 1960s, 70s and 80s, the rabbit was known to disguise himself in order to get his beloved cereal, employing costumes as diverse as a balloon vendor, a painter and a Native American. One alternate slogan for the cereal was, "Oranges, Lemons, and Grapes I see; the fruit taste of Trix is all for me". Once, Bugs Bunny
Bugs Bunny
Bugs Bunny is a animated character created in 1938 at Leon Schlesinger Productions, later Warner Bros. Cartoons. Bugs is an anthropomorphic gray rabbit and is famous for his flippant, insouciant personality and his portrayal as a trickster. He has primarily appeared in animated cartoons, most...
helped the rabbit get the cereal.
The rabbit's popularity has led him to appear in commercials for other products, such as a Got Milk?
Got Milk?
Got Milk? is an American advertising campaign encouraging the consumption of cow's milk, which was created by the advertising agency Goodby Silverstein & Partners for the California Milk Processor Board in 1993 and later licensed for use by milk processors and dairy farmers. It has been running...
advertisement. However, not all reception for the Trix rabbit has been positive.
This slogan is referenced in Quentin Tarantino
Quentin Tarantino
Quentin Jerome Tarantino is an American film director, screenwriter, producer, cinematographer and actor. In the early 1990s, he began his career as an independent filmmaker with films employing nonlinear storylines and the aestheticization of violence...
's Kill Bill
Kill Bill
Kill Bill Volume 1 is a 2003 action thriller film written and directed by Quentin Tarantino. It is the first of two volumes that were theatrically released several months apart, the second volume being Kill Bill Volume 2....
Vol 1. In chapter 5: Showdown at House of Blue Leaves, having dispatched O-Ren Ishii's (Lucy Liu
Lucy Liu
Lucy Alexis Liu is an American actress and film producer. She became known for playing the role of the vicious and ill-mannered Ling Woo in the television series Ally McBeal , and has also appeared in several Hollywood films including Charlie's Angels, Chicago, Kill Bill, and Kung Fu Panda.-Early...
) entourage, O-Ren taunts The Bride
Beatrix Kiddo
Beatrix Kiddo, primarily known as "The Bride", is a fictional character and the protagonist in the movie Kill Bill by American director Quentin Tarantino...
(Uma Thurman
Uma Thurman
Uma Karuna Thurman is an American actress and model. She has performed in leading roles in a variety of films, ranging from romantic comedies and dramas to science fiction and action movies. Among her best-known roles are those in the Quentin Tarantino films Pulp Fiction and Kill Bill...
), asking if she really thought it would be that easy. When the Bride defiantly replies that for a moment, she did, O-Ren replies "Silly rabbit..." and they finish the sentence together, "Trix are for kids". A footnote in the script implies this is what they used to say to each other when they both worked as assassins for Bill
Bill (Kill Bill)
Bill is the fictional titular character for whom the movie Kill Bill is named. In the film, he is the leader of the Deadly Viper Assassination Squad, which included his brother, Budd . Bill's codename is Snake Charmer...
, though this is never shown on film. This may also be a reference to The Bride's real name, Beatrix Kiddo.
In the comic strip "Pearls Before Swine
Pearls Before Swine (comic strip)
Pearls Before Swine is an American comic strip written and illustrated by Stephan Pastis, who was formerly a lawyer in San Francisco, California. It chronicles the daily lives of four anthropomorphic animals, Pig, Rat, Zebra, and Goat, as well as a number of supporting characters...
," the Trix rabbit made once an outrageous cameo appearance.